


Roast Duck and Onion Rings

by Oloriel



Category: Ancient Egyptian RPF, The Mummy Series
Genre: Discussions of child and infant mortality, F/M, Gen, Handwaving of history, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:35:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21910825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oloriel/pseuds/Oloriel
Summary: Under the premise that Imhotep was rescued by the Carnahan-O'Connell clan from the chasm at the eleventh hour (because having a primary source of spoken AND written Egyptian is important).
Comments: 5
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Only playing in the sandbox of Sommers and Cohen. No financial profit is derived from this work.

The Museum of Antiquities was aswarm with the re-animated dead. The Museum of Antiquities was also shaking ever-so-slightly from the swearing, wailing and general screaming and yelling in Old, Middle and New Egyptian- among other languages- generated by the crowd in the gallery. The curator and her family huddled behind three large sarcophagi regarded the pandemonium before them with grave concern.

"That one's swearing in Latin," Jonathan whispered to his sister, pointing at a mummy who just tore her portrait and face wrapping in half, revealing a particularly ill-preserved face beneath. Evelyn winced and looked away, equally appalled at the quality of mummification and the destruction of a Fayum portrait.

"How do they swear if they don't have lungs?" Rick marveled. "Every other time it was just supernatural screeches, now they're actually _talking_?"

"Magic, dad, it's magic," Alex rolled his eyes.

"Imhotep, what did you do this time?" Ardeth yelled over the cacophony at the priest directly in front of the sarcophagi, talking vehemently to a group of some ten people in various stages of preservation and mobility. One of the group, distinctly charred-looking, tapped his long walking stick impatiently on the floor.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" the man yelled back in English, exasperated. "Give me a moment- Lady Iset here is trying to tell me something-"

The lady in question was gesturing wildly at a display nearby, her sheepskin shroud a crumpled puddle on the floor. The group moved to the case and Imhotep gestured for the rest of the party to come forward. One by one, they gingerly approached the other group. The man with the walking stick hobbled aside to make way for them, regarding them with as much curiosity as he could muster on his cracked and charred face. He's not much older than me, Alex realised with a start. Which means this man can only be-

"Evelyn, your keys, please," Imhotep urged. Evelyn nodded, and after some rummaging and clinking, pulled out the right key for the case. With a click, the case unlocked, and she lifted the case door open. Lady Iset beckoned at Imhotep and the young man. They both came forward, and the three of them pored over the scroll inside. At length the young man pointed at a passage on the papyrus, and the other two nodded in agreement. The young man took out the scroll, leaned against the case, and yelled out the passage at the top of his lungs with great authority.

The crowd before them fell silent at once, turned their head towards the group as a body, and began to scramble back into their various resting places. One elderly, red-headed individual, however, came forward and bowed apologetically to Evelyn, pointed at the shards of broken glass on the floor, and mimed sweeping. "Oh-thank you, Your Majesty," Evelyn smiled. "Here, take this key," She pulled out a key from her large key-ring and gave it to the man. "The cleaning supplies are at the end of this gallery, third door to the right. Alex, you best go with him. Imhotep, Lady Iset, and my lord of the Two Lands, I thank you for your help," she bowed to the three. The two mummies inclined their heads graciously, but the former priest looked spectacularly embarrassed at the fiasco he caused. Ardeth raised an eyebrow, amused at the tableau before him. Jonathan just looked.

Then the young man shifted on his feet a little with a cracking sound, gripping his walking stick more tightly. He turned to Imhotep and addressed him with a few questions in a raspy voice. Lady Iset, upon hearing this, also turned to Imhotep, her head tilted to one side as she listened with avid interest. When the young man had finished speaking, she, too, addressed a few questions to her fellow countryman.

"What are they asking you?" Jonathan finally managed to open his mouth.

"They would like some help with unfinished business. His Majesty would like to know what happened to his wife and parents, and Lady Iset would like to find out who murdered her father and framed her for the crime," 

"Well, here we go again," Rick, Jonathan and Ardeth said in unison.


	2. Chapter 2

Ahm Shere was self-destructing about them.

"Evie, no!" Rick yelled at his wife, who darted towards the man clinging to the edge of the abyss. "Come back!"

"No, we have to get him out! He's our only source of written and spoken Egyptian!" She yelled, not even looking back as she extended both hands to Imhotep. "Let's get you out of here," she said, gripping him tightly by his hand and began pulling with all of her strength.

"You should let me go, Princess," Imhotep tried to struggle free of her. "I don't- I don't deserve this,"

"We'll deal with that later," she said vehemently, gripping him tighter. "Rick! Give me a hand!" 

With great effort, they pulled him from the chasm and bolted for their lives out of and up the pyramid. As they climbed at last to safety into the aircraft, the oasis disappeared into the earth with a great rumble. Imhotep made it into the dirigible last, and sank onto the deck, head bowed.

"Well that was some-" Jonathan stopped mid-sentence, tucking the enormous diamond behind him and laying a hand on Ardeth's to stop him from raising one of his numerous weapons on the Egyptian. "What in the name of Anubis is he doing here?" he pointed an accusing finger at the kneeling figure.

"He's our only source of spoken and written Egyptian, Jonathan. I couldn't let him go," Evie replied evenly. "Reincarnation of Nerfertiti I might be, I'm not fluent in Egyptian slang," she paused, her eyes sombre as she gazed imperiously at the man before her. "Besides, I can't think of a more fitting punishment for him than for him to serve me and my work until I see fit to release him from his servitude, seeing how he had treated my family in this life-" She glanced at Alex and Rick" -And my last one. What say you, Imhotep?"

The former priest took one look at Evelyn, and fainted.

"I take that as a yes," the lady shrugged, as her menfolk erupted in protests around her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tutankhamun was indeed the father of two daughters, who were possibly twins. The babies either died soon after delivery, or were stillborn. They were mummified and buried with their father. Whilst infant mortality was high in the ancient world even for royalty, their deaths were in all likelihood a devastating blow to their parents.

Imhotep, Iset and the younger Pharaoh were slowly making their round about the gallery, taking time to talk with each of the undead to put them at ease. A young girl was sitting by herself on the floor near her case, fiddling with a faded and crumbly floral collar about her neck. As they approached, she stood up and began to bow to them.

"No need for that here, little one," Tutankhamun bent down to her level with some difficulty. "What is your name, and how old are you?"

"Meri-Meritamun, sir, and I am six," she said, her head bowed.

"You almost share a name with my sister, Meritamun," Tut smiled at her. "Have you any siblings?"

"Yes. Two brothers, one older and one younger, and two younger sisters." she replied. "But none of them are here. My parents are not here, either. Have they forgot me?" Meritamun wiped a hand across her face, though no tear sprung from her long-sunken eyes. 

I-I don’t think so, Meritamun. They might just be-be lost," Tut replied, voice on the edge of breaking. "I assure you that no parent would forget their children, in the living world or the Du'at. Or here,"

"No?"

"I am certain of it," Tut said firmly. "Would-would you like to look for them, then, Meritamun?"

"Yes!" she nodded vigorously. "Will you help me?"

"I am not sure if I can, but I know somebody who will. Lady Iset, would you mind taking Meritamun to see Nefer-Evelyn?" 

"None at all," Iset bent down and offered her hand to the little girl. "I am Iset, and much pleased to make your acquaintance, Meritamun," 

"The pleasure is mine," the girl replied gravely as she took the woman's hand. "Can we go, Mistress?"

"Certainly," Iset nodded. "Evelyn is very good at finding people and things. She found me, and she might be able to find your family, too,"

"I'd like that," the little girl nodded. 

Imhotep and Tut watched the two picking their way through the group of undead sweepers recruited by Alex and his undead Egyptian uncle

"If we are…as we are, Imhotep, does that mean my daughters are-?" Tut asked shakily. 

"We could seek them out, milord," Imhotep replied. "Would you like that?"

"Yes,"


End file.
